What happens if there is a government shutdown at the same time you file your tax return? It’s something we might find out this weekend, since there is a possibility of a government shutdown Friday night.

Update: The government has officially shut down as of October 1, 2013. We will continue to monitor the impacts to tax refunds. If you are still waiting on your tax refund see How Long Can the IRS Delay Your Tax Refund?

Right now, as the possibilities of another tax filing delay are on the horizon, it’s hard to tell what exactly might happen. Depending on whoyouask, you might get a different answer.

Possible Tax Impacts of Government Shutdown

Based on all of the news reports, here’s a summary of what might happen with your tax return during a government shutdown:

However, even if large portions of the the IRS are shutdown, the IRS will still accept payments and you must still file by the tax deadline.

Tax Refund Processing

The biggest question people are likely to ask is if a government shutdown will delay your tax refund. And it could, based on how you file. Here’s what might possibly happen to tax refunds based on earlier predictions:

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Comments to Will a Government Shutdown Delay Your Tax Refund?

Sounds good, too. We owe taxes every year and this year is no exception. We owe even more this year, and have no intention of filing tonight even if the government shuts down at 12:01am. Since you will be picking up a nice, fat payment from us, I am sure your gargantuan and outdated machine will process our money just fine next week.

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